Crisis looms over Thalapathy Vijay’s coronation: Allies gave a shock at midnight, superstar stuck in majority game

Chennai: These days, the excitement of a suspense thriller film is being seen in the politics of Tamil Nadu. Friday night was no less than a night of doom for Chennai politics. Superstar-turned-politician ‘Thalapathy’ Vijay, who was dreaming of taking oath as the Chief Minister on Saturday, currently seems to be dashing his wishes. The situation is that Vijay’s party TVK is badly entangled in this magical figure of 116, 117 and 118. Not receiving the invitation from Raj Bhavan till now is a clear indication that there are still many hurdles left in the path of ‘Thalapathy’.

Actually, the matter is about that magical number of majority without touching which it is impossible to reach the seat of power. Till Friday evening it seemed that Vijay had won, but by midnight the game had completely changed. Supporters were preparing for the celebration when news came that the alliance partners had pulled out. At present, the suspense regarding government formation in Tamil Nadu has deepened and all eyes are now on the next movement at Raj Bhavan.

Magic figure of 118 and tension of victory

118 seats are required to form the government in the Tamil Nadu Assembly. Vijay’s party TVK had won 108 seats in the elections. Actually, this figure remains only 107, because Vijay himself won the elections from two seats and as per the rules, he will have to leave one seat. In such a situation, he has to rely on his colleagues for support. Vijay has met the Governor thrice so far, but each time he did not have a strong ‘support letter’ of majority.

It is being told that the Left parties (CPI and CPM) assured support to Vijay, but the real problem was stuck on IUML and VCK. On Friday night, IUML surprised everyone by saying that they would not go along with Vijay and would remain loyal to the DMK alliance. This has dealt a huge blow to Vijay’s hopes.

VCK’s ‘Uturn’ and condition of sharing power

As IUML bowed out, all hopes rested on VCK. Earlier news had come that VCK MLAs would hand over letters of support to Vijay on Saturday morning. But at midnight there was another twist in the story. Party’s Deputy General Secretary Vanniyarasu put forward a demand on social media which created panic in Vijay’s camp. VCK is now demanding not just support but equal share in government and governance.

According to local sources, VCK is very strict about its conditions. He says that talks are still going on and the final decision will be taken only after the conditions are accepted. This uncertainty has disappointed thousands of supporters who had gathered on the streets of Chennai in anticipation of Vijay’s coronation.

What will be the next step of ‘Thalapathy’?

At present the situation in Tamil Nadu is such that no one can see a clear majority. On one hand, Vijay is busy gathering his strength, while on the other hand, there are reports of a new political tussle brewing between DMK and AIADMK. Following the constitutional decorum, the Governor has also made it clear that he will not invite anyone without proving written majority.

This is no less than a litmus test for Vijay. This snake-ladder of politics is proving to be very difficult for ‘Thalapathy’, who defeated his enemies on the film screen. Unless he puts a clear figure of 118 on the Governor’s table, his dream of forming a government in Tamil Nadu will remain just a dream. Now it remains to be seen what new turn the politics of Tamil Nadu takes till the sun sets on Saturday.